"SUGGESTED DONATION: ONE HUMAN SOUL"

Lots of things make us human but political engagement is the one folks I know tend to have missed: so if you get regular use out of my songs the PRICE for that is to humanize your soul a bit further with a DISCRETE UP-TICK in your political involvement.  Please pledge your soul a bit more to humanity, they're devilish enough, and I'll consider our infernal contract complete.  The following are suggestions of what I mean and how to do it: and then an activist calendar for my fellow Chicagoans.


Okay, you're going to increase your democratic involvement a bit, maybe:

If you're not on any mailing lists, get on one.   That includes signing up for the alerts from any of the statewide activist coalitions at www.pjep.org, or from the following organizations (not all of which I like, but you actually might:)  www.moveon.org, www.codepink4peace.org, www.unitedforpeace.org.   Signing up to be invited to activities counts; even if you don't wind up going.   You can start going later, to pay for my next album.

Or instead of mailing lists, start educating yourself with regular alternative politics and/or news.  For folks seeking leftist media, I recommend www.democracynow.org and www.fair.org: download their audio broadcasts and listen at work, or find them on your local radio or TV.  They're biased, but information doesn't come without bias or it wouldn't come with any purpose.  Find some of the the biased media you're missing now, not (dear God) counting my songs, and you're paid up.  For print, try www.counterpunch.org and I have to mention reading anything and everything at www.chomsky.info as a probably good idea.

If you're already doing the above, then pay up by trying hands-on activism in an activist group.  Activism is like dating.  Some attempts are just god-awful, because democracy, like Hell, is other people.  The demons just arrived in Hell all jabbered at once and their political system was called "pandemonium." I'm writing a song about that.   That's how it starts.  But no, forget that, activism is like dating.  it can be as nerve-wracking and/or fun as a blind date and it can fulfill or wreck you like any romance, though generably in reasonable doses either one.  Sadly if you're going to love this world you'll have to love the people in it, and you and I know that people are trouble, so stick with it and find your place by trying things out.  Your town should have an activist calendar: your state has one or likely soon will at www.pjep.org: and often your local www.indymedia.org page will have other calendars to check out.  My neighbors in Chicago will find prominent links to a number of event calendars at chicago.indymedia.org - and I'll try to post weekly updates to the best of them on this page (there's also an email listed for subscriptions).

The great thing about changing the world is that it's a big world, and whatever you're trying now, there's always something else even better to do when you wise up. 

Oh, and if you see me at one of these things, please don't make a fuss - I'm a bit leftier as "Des" than always works in other groups.  Also my life might be wrecked ... You won't see me anyway, I'm lazy as hell.  But look for a tall reedy dark haired guy and smile knowingly, or smile knowingly at someone else, and most likely you'll have livened up someone's day.   Thanks!